


Peripeteia

by Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97



Category: Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Donna Troy never should have died so I'm fixing it, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Relationships, Resurrection, Reunions, Themyscira (DCU)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22973203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97/pseuds/Not_So_Mundane_After_All_97
Summary: After months of waiting it’s finally time to bring Donna back. Or try to, at least. The pressure starts to settle on Rachel, causing her to lose faith in herself. But who's better to help her than the one person who believes in her the most? Dick leaves for an emotional journey to reunite with the two people who mean the most to him.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson & Raven
Comments: 4
Kudos: 68





	Peripeteia

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, I'm back with another story! And this one is long as hell for a oneshot, I didn't expect for it to end up like this. And this fic is basically 10% plot and 90% fluff. But here we are! Sending love and big thanks to @SiryyGray (@liathgray on Tumblr) for helping me up on this one, especially for coming up with the title, which means "reversal of fates" - detailed explanation in end notes.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Somehow, over the last six months, it became a routine for Dick. He had promised Rachel her room will be waiting for her when she gets back from Themyscira, so now he's making sure the place looks exactly as she left it (and not hollow and abandoned as it feels to him sometimes). So once in a while he dusts it off, pointlessly rearranges stuff on her desk, or makes the bed even though nobody sleeps in it these days. He knows it's a poor excuse, but this way he at least has a reason to be in this room in the first place. 

He misses her, more than he thought he would, in fact. Oh how stupid he was in the beginning, thinking it would only be temporary, that he would only take this kid from point A to point B and he'll be done with it. Not for the first time Dick mentally berates himself for trying to run away. Yes, the responsibility seemed terrifying, but now, he realises, he can't imagine his life without Rachel in it.

There isn't a day when he's not thinking about her. Is she okay? Is she eating and sleeping enough? Are they treating her well? How are her powers? What progress did she make? Isn't she overworking herself, as she tends to do? Does she miss him like he misses her?

The only thing he's trying _not_ to think about is Rachel's reason for being there. Thinking about Donna still hurts and it might never stop. As much as he believes in Rachel and her abilities, he must be realistic on this. He can't get his hopes up.

Losing Donna had shattered him to pieces. He had rebuild the team in her name, he's actively trying to be a better person, a better leader for her, because of her. Maybe this is his way to make up to her for everything he had done wrong in the past. The logical part of him (that strangely sounds like Kory in his mind) tells him that he's not the only one responsible, he shouldn't carry the blame alone. He knows it's true. But his guilt complex seems to be even stronger now, because he didn't have the chance to make up with Donna before he lost her.

That part hurts him the most, to be honest. There was rarely any bad blood between them, they always made amends in the end. They always had time. She was his voice of reason, his moral compass in his darkest days. The ray of sunshine when his sky was covered in shades of grey. He feels lost without it now. 

He went to her room once, a week after her death. He tried to do the same thing he's doing in Rachel's room now - clean up a little, go through her belongings - but he wasn't able to, it was too overwhelming. Kory found him after a while, on his knees in the middle of the room, sobbing into one of Donna's t-shirts.

The loss seems to be an integral part of Dick's life. His parents, the Haly's Circus, Garth… He just never imagined Donna Troy joining this group of people, not so soon… not before him. 

A set of three framed pictures on Rachel's nightstand distracts him enough to ease the pain in his heart. The girl never seemed to be sentimental, but Dick noticed how over time her room was filled with things of emotional value, slowly uncovering other parts of her personality to her newfound family. The display presents three most important people in her life - one picture with Gar, taken by Jason when the three kids went off to hang out and see the city for the first time since they came to San Francisco. They laugh to the camera, holding ice cream in their hands.

The other picture is with Kory, taken not so long ago when she decided to take Rachel to the mall, hoping she would distract her from all the mess that was happening in the Tower. The two girls make silly faces to the camera, their eyes and mouths wide open like they're surprised by something and Dick can't help but chuckle at the image.

The frame he picks up holds a picture of the two of them, on one of their last coffee mornings in town. It became kind of their thing. He would get her out of bed early twice a week and take her to the park. The silence and clear morning air helped her focus when they were training her mind instead of her body. And after that they would go grab a coffee in a nearby café. He smiled softly at the memory.

*

_"So, have you put any thought into our name?" Rachel asked as they grabbed their coffee and went over to the sugar dispenser._

_"What do you mean?"_

_The girl took a sip of her drink before cringing in disgust, immediately reaching for sugar._

_"Well… you, Hank, Dawn and Donna were the Titans." she explained to him. "So what are we? The New Titans? Titans 2.0?"_

_"Titans: Next Generation?" he cut in and smiled, but Rachel only glared at his bad attempt of a joke and raised an eyebrow mockingly._

_"You're not helping."_

_"Look, Rach. It doesn't matter what you're called." He started, seeing a chance to turn this exchange into a lesson. "It matters what you do. We're training for whatever's next. There's never a shortage of people out there who wanna screw things up for the rest of us."_

_Rachel stared at him with a small smile dancing on her lips, her eyes focused and Dick mentally high fived himself for getting her attention._

_"You know what they say," he continued. "All it takes for evil to succeed-"_

_"-Is for good men and women to do nothing." she finished for him and a warm feeling of pride bloomed in his chest. She was a quick learner._

_"That's Titans. Good men and women_ **_not_ ** _doing nothing." He finished as he took his coffee and went to find them a table._

 _"You could put that on a t-shirt,_ Dirk _." He heard her teasing him behind his back and rolled his eyes, but smiled at her when she joined him._

 _"Only if you promise me you'll wear it,_ Rochelle _."_

_"In your dreams." she scoffed and took another sip._

_Dick had to put his hand over his mouth to cover his smile and tried really hard not to laugh when she put her cup back on the table and looked back at him. The coffee cream formed a small white mustache on her upper lip and it was the most adorable thing Dick had ever seen in his life. His other hand already went to the pocket of his jeans, getting his phone ready._

_"What?" she asked him, confused and Dick chuckled._

_"Nothing." he answered, bringing his phone up. "Let me just save it for future generations of Titans." he said with a smile as he unlocked the phone and quickly took a picture._

_Rachel, upon realizing what is going on and what he's up to, wiped her face with her sleeve as fast as she could._

_"Rach, I think you missed something."_

_Dick said and reached over the table, wiping the remaining cream from her face with his thumb._

_"Oh, screw you."_

_They looked at each other for a moment and burst out laughing._

_"You know what?" she said, getting up from her seat. "This calls for revenge."_

_She walked over to his side, stopping behind him and circled her arms around his neck, her phone already in her hand._

_"You never want to take selfies." she said and he rolled his eyes again, sighing. "So now, after what you just pulled on me, you are obligated to."_

_There was no way he was winning this one._

_"Fine."_

_She got her phone ready and he had no choice but to smile at the camera. His grin grew even bigger when, just before snapping the picture, Rachel pressed her lips to his cheek with a smile._

_Proud of herself, she came back to her seat, examining the photo._

_"Oh, I'm so printing this."_

_"Don't you dare, Rach!"_

*

He misses those mornings. Those times when he would silently enter her room, sit down on the edge of the bed and wake her up with a soft 'Good morning, sleepyhead.' murmured to her ear. She would scoff at him, covering her head with a blanket, but Dick is a patient man when he needs to be, so he would sit there and wait until she uncovers herself and asks for extra 5 minutes, which he would always give her. 

He misses her smile and her laugh. Her determination to learn as much as she can, to always do everything right as if she's trying to impress him. She doesn't need to, but she does it anyway. She always wants him to be proud of her, having no idea how incredibly proud he already is. 

"I'm sure she's fine, you know." He suddenly hears behind him and whips around to see Kory standing in the door, with a soft look on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. Dick sighs. As always these days, Kory Anders perfectly guessed what's going on inside his head. 

"She's probably kicking those amazonian asses as we speak." She continues with a smile as she walks over to him. She leans over his shoulder, letting her hair brush his cheek and looks down at the frame in his hand. 

"You two look so cute here." she points out. "I've always loved that picture."

"Yeah, me too." he agrees, putting it back on the nightstand. Then he turns back to Kory. "I just..."

"I know." she interrupts him, her features softening. "I miss her too."

"I can't stop worrying, Kory." he finally admits, opening his heart to her. "What if what she's trying to do ends up being too much for her? What if something happens? What if-"

"Relax, Grayson." Kory whispers softly, putting her hand on his cheek. "I know it's scary, but you can't think like that. It will only make you lose your mind."

Her hand slowly slips from his face to his shoulder, the touch sending shivers down his spine. 

"Besides…" Kory smiles at him. "You know our girl. She's one tough cookie to break."

Dick smiles back at her, relishing in the way she said _our girl_.

"Yeah." he agrees. "She sure is."

"Now come on. I came for you because Hank got a new lead on that weapon dealer-"

She doesn't finish because in that moment Dick's phone buzzes in his pocket. He reaches for it and frowns at the screen.

"What?" Kory asks, concerned.

"It's Diana."

"Wonder Woman?"

"Yeah." He confirms, his insides already twisting. When Rachel went to Themyscira, Dick asked the amazonian warrior to watch over her whenever she can. "She's in the city. And she wants to meet with me immediately."

***

They decide to meet at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where Jillian's office used to be. The Amazons still have their agents stationed there, so it's the perfect place. She's waiting for him in the office, leaning against the the desk flipping through pages of an album of the museum's latest exhibition.

Diana raises her eyes at him as he enters and smiles at him.

"It's good to see you Dicky."

"Hi, Diana." he greets her, smiling at the childhood nickname she used. He walks up to her and hugs her. "It's good to see you too." She looks like she belongs here in this office, or more like she owns this entire building in fact, in a white jumpsuit and with her hair tied up in a high ponytail. Diana emanates confidence people could only dream of. Dick had always admired that about her. 

"Please, sit." she points him a chair as she rounds the desk to take her own seat. "We have a lot to discuss."

"Is something wrong with Rachel? Is she hurt?" he asks immediately because the waiting is driving him insane. What could have possibly happen for Diana to come all the way to San Francisco to meet him in person?

"Rachel is just fine, no need to worry." she soothes him, a soft smile spreading across her lips. "But it is her I wanted to talk to you about."

Dick takes a deep breath, bracing himself. She told him not to worry, but he can't help it. 

"She had made quite a progress in the last few months, growing confident and secure with her powers." Diana continues, getting Dick's whole attention. "We can't teach her what someone of her own kind would, we don't have enough knowledge in that matter. But we did teach her patience and precision in what she already can do. And, I'm sure you know, it's very exciting to watch her discover what she's capable of on her own."

Dick smiles fondly and nods. "Yes, it is." 

Diana gives him a knowing look, the left corner of her lips lifting up in a smirk. 

"You must be proud."

"I am." he confirms without missing a beat. "But I don't understand. If everything is okay, what is this meeting for?"

Her face instantly turns serious. She folds her hands on the desk in front of her and looks him in the eyes.

"We both know what her plan is."

Dick lets out a heavy sigh, straightening himself in his seat. He should've figure it out by now, but his mind was so flooded with worries that for a moment he lost sight on the main reason behind it all.

"She's going to resurrect Donna."

Diana nods in confirmation.

"And she's going to do it soon. Next full moon, to be exact, which is in 3 days."

The feeling of excitement mixed with anxiety starts creeping under his skin. 

"How will this work?"

"I don't know all the details." she admits. "The thing is, there's no spell for it, no recipe, no written solution. Rachel has been preparing her plan basically from scratch, studying every book we could find for her to use, both on Themyscira and around the world. Her work is solid, but it's still a theory, not tested before."

Dick feels there's more to it than she's letting on, so he asks.

"And?"

"And…" she continues. "She's losing confidence. It seems the scale of it all is too overwhelming for her. We are 100% sure in her abilities, she had proven herself to be far stronger than we've expected." Diana leans over the desk, closer to him, adding weight to her next words. "We believe she can do this. The problem is - she doesn't."

"She thinks she's not strong enough and she's scared to fail since it was her idea." Dick nods in understanding. "I warned her it might not work, no matter how strong she is. But that's how Rachel is - she doesn't want to give up, but she tends to take things on her shoulders that are far too big for her to bare." he explains. "And that terrifies her."

"Exactly." Diana nods, leaning back in her chair. "That's why I came to you. Or, should I say, _for_ you." 

Dick raises an eyebrow at her, not exactly following.

"What do you mean?"

"I pulled some strings and I owe few favors now, but I think it will be worth it. I want to bring you to Themyscira with me."

He can't describe how shocked he is. Donna had tried to bring him along many times, begging Diana over and over again, but it never worked. He must look stupid now, he thinks because of how Diana smiles at him.

"Surprised?" She asks teasingly.

He clears his throat, shaking himself out of confusion.

"Honored." he admits truthfully. "When?"

"Tonight, if it works for you. I want to come back as soon as possible. You're the only person Rachel will listen to. She wants to bring Donna back mainly for you. Having you there, by her side, it will only help her. She's very homesick, and I think your presence will do wonders for her. You're the only one who can convince her. And after it's done, whether it works or not, you can take her back home with you."

"Thank you, Diana." he says as they get up from their seats and he shakes her hand.

"You're welcome. Besides…" she clasps his hand between hers comfortingly. "I'm sure Donna will be very happy to see you when she wakes up." 

***

He explains the situation to the team and is relieved to have their total support on the plan. Kory assures him they can handle their current mission and he has nothing to worry about. 

He's on the plane within two hours. 

Themyscira is honestly breathtaking. He feels like he's been taken through time to ancient Greece. Which is basically true, since - from what Donna told him - the island stayed the same for millenia, since it was created. 

It's an ancient city formed on the island's natural landscape. Aqueducts, statues and temples surrounding it from all sides. Hills and valleys full of endless greenery. The sound of waterfalls and the screeching of seagulls echoing among the buildings. Streets full of women, both young and old, and all emanating with the same strength and power that Dick had seen only in Donna before.

Diana leads him through many hallways of the magnificent palace. Everything around him is covered with gold and lined with white marble. The walls are filled with reliefs telling the story of the Great Amazon Warriors, their losses and victories. But none of that really matters to him right now. Dick feels extremely excited, but also nervous, in a good way. He finally gets to see Rachel after so long, he couldn't be happier. The fact that she doesn't know he's coming makes it even better. After few minutes they reach giant double door in the east wing of the building - the Grand Library. 

Rachel is seated on the floor on the other side of the room, surrounded by books and notes. He stays a little behind, hiding between bookshelves so he could surprise her. Diana immediately catches on his intentions, giving him a knowing smirk and approaches the girl alone.

"Diana, you're back!" he can hear the girl's excited voice and his heart jumps in his chest. God, he really missed her. 

He peaks from behind the shelves to see the two hugging, getting his first good look at Rachel in months.

She seems to be taller. She's wearing a white flowy dress laced with golden ornaments, her blue hair, now longer, covering her shoulders. She looks beautiful.

"Yes, I'm back." Diana says as they break apart, then she steps aside, but still keeps her hand on her shoulder. "And I come bearing gifts."

Reading it as his cue, he slowly comes out of hiding. Rachel's reaction is priceless. The notes she's holding in her hand land forgotten on the floor. Her eyes are wide open, glistening with tears.

"Dick?" she whispers like she's afraid any loud noise will make him disappear.

He steps closer, smiling at her softly.

"Hi, Rach."

She breaks into a sprint, the sound of her laugh echoing in the room. She jumps right into his arms and he spins her around, holding her as close as possible. Rachel clings to him almost desperately, and he can feel her tears on his skin when she buries her face in the crook of his neck.

"I can't believe you're really here." she sobs into his shirt and he brings her closer to him.

"I'm here, honey."

"I missed you so much."

He leans back a little, taking her face in his hands and brushing her tears away. 

"I missed you too, everyday."

"It's been so long."

"I know, sweetheart." he whispers softly and leans in, pressing a loving kiss to her forehead. Rachel instantly melts even deeper into his embrace. "But I'm here now."

"I'm so happy." She smiles at him. Then she turns back to Diana. "But how? I thought this island is off-limits to men?"

The older woman gives them a warm smile as she approaches them. 

"We can make an exception once in a while. Besides, it's your big day tomorrow and I figured it would be good for you to have a loved one by your side."

This time Rachel throws her arms around Diana's neck.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The two break apart and Rachel immediately sticks herself to Dick's side again. He slips his arm around her and kisses the top of her head. Diana is watching them with a soft smile and warm eyes.

"Take a day off, Rachel." she suggests. "I'm sure you have everything ready."

"But I still need to check- I need to be sure-"

"Hey," Dick interrupts her, finally seeing a glimpse of what Diana has been talking about back in San Francisco. "I'm sure you got everything right. Diana told me how hard you worked on this. But she's right, you need a break." He brushes his hand over her cheek, making her lean into the touch. "Tomorrow's a big day. You need to save your strength. And I need someone to show me around." He finishes with a teasing smirk. 

Rachel looks between the two adults for a moment, then sighs in defeat.

"Fine. Let me just grab my notes."

And with that she went back to her books, picking up pieces of paper scattered around.

Diana stands next to him, watching her.

"See? This is what I was talking about."

Dick nods in agreement. Then he feels her hand on his shoulder. 

"Keep her mind off of this for the rest of the day. Help her relax. Dinner will be served in the garden, meet me there in half an hour. After that - you have an entire day for yourselves."

He gives her a smile in return.

"Thank you again, Diana. For everything."

"My pleasure, Dicky."

Rachel comes back to them with a handful of notes, beaming with happiness. 

"Ready? I need to take this to my room first."

Diana gives the girl one last smile before walking away.

"I'll see you soon. Have some fun!"

"We will!" he calls after her as he pulls laughing Rachel to his side again.

"Come on, Rach. Lead the way."

The girl playfully salutes him, grinning.

"Yes, sir."

***

After being served with the fanciest dinner ever (seriously, Bruce Wayne could _never_ ), they've been left alone for the day, permitted to go anywhere they wanted. So Rachel showed him around the castle first, then leading him to the massive physical training area where they sparred a little so she could show him what she had learned from the amazonian warriors. Dick knew some of those moves already, having witnessed Donna using them in the past, but to see Rachel using them now was… impressive, to say the least. And it made him feel incredibly proud of her.

Now, as they are walking alongside the seashore, watching the sunset, Dick can't stop smiling at her excited blabbering as she's explaining to him her newly discovered abilities.

"So you're telling me you can teleport now?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at her. Rachel shrugs in return.

"Basically. I just… do this." she says as she draws a circle in the air with her hand, opening a black hole and stepping into it before he can stop her. 

"And then I'm here." He hears behind his back and sees her walking out of identical black hole few feet away from him as he turns around.

"This is amazing, Rach."

She smiles at him, proud of herself.

"Thanks. I still need to work on my flying skills." she says as she joins him. "This thing is a little harder."

He stops walking, surprised.

"Flying skills?"

She rolls her eyes at him playfully.

"Don't sound so shocked."

"But _I am_ shocked. You've been away for six months and you completely exceeded my expectations." He places his hand gently on her shoulder, looking her in the eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Rachel."

She looks down, embarrassed and smiles shyly.

"It's nothing."

"No, it's not." he slips his two fingers under her chin and lifts her face gently, so she can meet his eyes. "You've come a long way since the day I met you. You went through hell and still came out stronger in the end. I literally couldn't be more proud of you than I am now."

She smiles at him, her eyes wet with unshed tears.

"Thank you, for everything you've done for me. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for you. "

He pulls her to his chest and holds her close as he rests his chin on top of her head and whispers.

"I wouldn't change a single thing."

They stay like that for a minute, just enjoying each other's company. It feels so good to have her back in his arms. It's like a missing piece of him came back to its rightful place.

"I missed you." she murmurs, not for the first time today. "I missed _this_." she then emphasizes by squeezing him a little tighter. He lets out a quiet laugh before dropping another kiss on her hair.

"Yeah, me too. And I'm not the only one." he tells her as they break apart, but not completely. His arm stays around her shoulder while hers is still circled around his waist as they start walking again. "Gar and Kory are dying without you."

She giggles at his words. "How's the team?"

"A lot better." he confesses. "We've got few good missions here and there over the last few months. Working together is going better and better these days. I think we can say that Titans are officially back in business."

"That's because they have a great leader." she teases him with a smile.

"Maybe." he winks at her and she elbows him in return. "But the team isn't complete yet. Not without you."

Rachel lets out a sigh, looking down at her feet.

"I can't come back until I'm finished with what I came here to do." she tells him after a moment, her tone serious. She looks back up at him. "Which hopefully happens tomorrow. If my spell works, that is…"

"Diana mentioned you have… doubts." he starts carefully. "Mind telling me what this is about?"

Rachel lets out a tired sigh and Dick has a feeling this is not the first time she has to explain it to someone.

"I'm not sure if I'm strong enough." she says after a moment, looking up at him. "I've been studying every bit of information I could get my hands on for months, trying to understand my powers and the ways they might work. But playing with death is a tricky thing. It requires a huge amount of power… which I don't think I have."

He knows her too well now not to notice the hesitation in her voice. It's completely understandable for her to have those doubts, but he knows that's not all. He stops walking and turns to face her. 

"I have seen you do some really incredible things, I told you that already." He says as he takes her hand in his. Rachel looks down, watching his thumb drawing soothing circles over her knuckles in a slow motion. "You're far stronger than you give yourself credit for, Rach."

She looks back at him again, not entirely convinced yet.

"You think so?"

"I know so." he moves his hand to her shoulder. "I also know you're not telling me everything. What are you so afraid of?"

Rachel averts her gaze, looking at the ocean instead of his face and bites at her lip. A shiver runs through her body as she holds back a sob and Dick instinctively pulls her into his arms again. He runs his hand through her hair in a soothing motion, hoping it will calm her down a little.

"C'mon, Rach." he whispers to her ear. "It's okay, honey. You can tell me."

The girl takes one deep breath, then whispers.

"What if I do something wrong?"

She pulls away to look at him and the tears on her face break his heart. He hates when she's crying. "What if I somehow damage her soul? What if… what if what comes back isn't Donna at all?" 

She wipes at her eyes violently, undoubtedly frustrated with herself. Then she continues. "I want to do this, I really do. For her. For you, for Diana. For our family. We shouldn't have lost Donna in the first place. But I don't want to cause her any more pain. I don't want to be the reason for her eternal suffering. I… I don't want to fail her, Dick. Or you."

He approaches her again and lifts his hands to cup her cheeks.

"Rachel, you could never fail me, or Donna, don't even think like that." He whispers as he wipes her tears with his thumbs. "I understand it seems scary. I get that. But I know you. You're stronger than anyone I have ever met, and not just in terms of your powers. You have a good heart, you're loyal and devoted to anything you put your mind into. And you're so incredibly smart. I mean…" he smiles at her. "You've created this entire plan all by yourself. You poured your whole heart into it and went over it again and again, checking everything. And I don't even want to pretend I understand it like you do. Yes, there are risks - we can't deny that. But Diana believes your plan is solid and it will work. She believes in _you_. And so do I."

Her blue eyes sparkle with remaining tears, but she smiles anyway.

"Really?"

"Really. Whatever you're going to do tomorrow, you have our full support."

Rachel considers it for a moment, then smiles at him through her tears.

"That's why Diana brought you here, isn't it?" she figures. "So you could convince me."

Dick shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Maybe. She also mentioned you were homesick."

The girl lets out a chuckle.

"That… is true, yeah."

Dick grins and opens his arms for her again, because nothing feels better than holding her against his chest.

"Then dry your tears and come here."

She happily takes the invitation and falls into his embrace once more, slipping her arms around his waist.

"Thank you." 

He holds her close, stroking her hair gently. There's really nothing better than that. 

"Anything for my best girl." he whispers in return.

In the meantime the day turned into the night around them, and now the crystal clear dark sky above their heads is sparkling with stars. The view takes his breath away for a moment. 

Rachel yawns into his shirt.

"Dick?"

Still looking up at the sky, he doesn't stop stroking her hair.

"Yeah?"

There's a moment of hesitation before she speaks again.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

He looks down and meets her eyes. Even though it's dark - the only light provided by the moon and the stars - he can see a faint blush on her cheeks. 

This sweet child. In moments like this he honestly can't remember the time when she wasn't a part of his life. She means so much to him it hurts, but in the best way.

He smiles at her softly and kisses her forehead again.

"Of course."

Later that night, when the world around them is quiet and Rachel sleeps safely tucked against his chest, Dick lets his feelings overcome him for a moment. Being reunited with her after so long and the possibility of getting Donna back tomorrow fills his heart with so much joy he can barely take it. He can't remember the last time he felt this happy. But that doesn't mean the constant worry in the back of his head is quiet. As much as he believes in Rachel, he knows it's dangerous. But there's no going back from this. All he can do is pray everything will turn out okay. 

***

The next day started off busy, for some people at least. The importance of this day seemed to be hanging in the air, making everyone feel anxious. People moved through hallways in a hurry. Even Rachel, immediately after breakfast, took her notes and went to lock herself in the library, asking not to be bothered till the time comes.

"I need to clear my head." she tells him when he asks if he could join her. "Focus. I'm extremely happy that you're here, but if I'm going to do this right, I need to do this alone."

Dick has no argument against that so he just smiles and nods.

"Okay. But if you need anything, let me know."

"Will do." she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before running off from the small dining room. "See you later!"

Diana smiles at him over the table.

"So it worked then." she starts. "She did listen to you."

Dick nods.

"She just needed a boost of confidence."

"From the right person." she adds and takes a sip of her red wine. "It's nice, you know? To see you continuing the legacy."

He looks at her, confused.

"Legacy?"

"Of taking someone under your wing."

She puts her glass down and folds her fingers together on the wooden table.

"We so-called superheroes have this tendency." she speaks slowly, her voice filled with years of wisdom and experience. "We stumble upon someone who is special in their own way, but they need guidance and help. And we take it upon ourselves to deliver it to them the best we can, offering them a piece of our soul in the process. We do this because it feels like we have no other choice, and it often terrifies us, but in the end it turns out there's no one better for the job."

It feels like her gaze goes straight through him, right into his soul. She has always been good at reading people, so it's no surprise to him how well she could read him now.

"Is it that obvious?"

Diana's smile just grows wider.

"Bruce have done it for you. I did it for Donna. I think it was only a matter of time. I was in fact wondering if Donna ever gets to experience this on her own before…" her smile falters for a moment, her eyes clouding with sadness, before she shakes herself out of it.

"Tell me." she starts again, leaning towards him. "What was it that made you do this? What was so special about this child that made you change your entire life for her in a heartbeat? We've all had our reasons, I would like to know yours."

Dick takes a deep breath, thinking. He had never actually thought about this before. It all just sort of… happened. 

"I just saw a bit of myself in her." he tells her finally. "I'm guessing Rachel told you about how we first met." he asks and when Diana nods, he continues. "She was so… lost. And hopeless. Her world just fell apart, she had nowhere to go. And somehow she found me."

"Because of that strange dream she had - about your parents."

He nods in confirmation, not sure how much he can reveal in that matter.

"I've never planned this. And after what happened in Detroit I honestly thought this is a one time thing. That I'll just take her where she needs to go, make sure she's safe and I'm done. But…"

"But you got attached." Diana guesses.

"It was scary." he admits after a moment. "I was a different man back then. Not the kind of person that should be around other people, especially kids."

He smiles to himself as the memories start flooding his mind.

"But the more time I've spend with her, the more I got to know her… the more I wanted to stay. Even though I stupidly left, multiple times, because I got scared."

"Making mistakes is a natural thing in this process." Diana comforts him. "I made them. Bruce had made them too, you know that first hand. But the most rewarding part of it all, the part that makes all of it even more worth it, is when our children decide we're worth forgiveness and acceptance, no matter what we did."

He doesn't know how to respond to that, but with the way Diana is looking at him, Dick thinks he doesn't have to. There's something in her eyes that tells him she already has her answer. So he keeps drinking his wine instead.

Diana finishes her own glass before speaking again.

"You two share a really strong and unique bond. It's really beautiful. I hope you keep it that way."

He knows what she means by that. His relationship with Bruce had more downs than ups in the last few years. Her own road with Donna wasn't always easy either. But he's not them. He won't make the same mistakes. 

"I intend to."

Diana waves her hand at the staff to start cleaning the table. Then she gets up from her seat and extends a hand towards him.

"I would like to show you something, if you don't mind."

He gets up as well and follows her to the balcony. The view extends to the temple hill, hidden deep in the island. Diana points at one of the smaller buildings to the far right.

"This is where everything happens tonight." she says. Dick looks in that direction, just now noticing a group of people working there - women in white robes, walking in and out of the building in a hurry, carrying flowers, textiles and bowls.

"She's there." the woman whispers and for a second Dick's heart stops. "If you want to see her before…"

"I'd like that." he says quickly before he can change his mind.

Diana smiles softly and nods. 

"Follow me, then."

***

He's growing more nervous with every step he takes. The walk to the temple takes only few minutes, but for Dick every second is stretched to infinity. As they climb the hill, he's trying not to think about the lump forming in his throat.

Diana sends the working girls away, so they can be left alone. She then takes a look inside through the white curtains covering the arched entrance. She stays there for a moment, silent and unmoving, before turning back to Dick. Her eyes shine with tears, but she quickly collects herself, taking a deep breath.

"Take all the time you need, dear." she whispers before walking away.

It's cold inside. Which is understandable since they are keeping a body there. But what he sees is not what he expected.

Donna is laying down on a stone table made of white marble in the centre of the room. She's surrounded by flowers and white and gold satin. He expected her to wear her traditional amazonian armor but instead she's dressed in a beautiful white satin gown. The waves of her long black hair fall smoothly around her head and shoulders, forming a crown. Her hands are folded over her midsection, her bracelets still on her wrists. He can't quite see her face, because it's covered with a piece of a see-through white fabric, but he can make out the shape of her nose and a faint red on her lips. 

She looks almost like Snow White, straight out of a fairytale.

It feels like his heart is going to break out of his chest any second. He feels frozen at the entrance, unable to move. The pain, loss and guilt come crashing down on him again, heavy like those marble blocks this city is build of. 

He has to close his eyes and inhale deeply, before he can force himself to take another step. And another, and another. And then he's standing above her, slowly uncovering her face with a trembling hand.

"Hi, Don." Dick whispers, but his voice comes out unsteady. He clears his throat before speaking again, a little bit louder this time. "It's been a while."

Her face is as white as the dress she's wearing. The sight is almost blinding, given the ray of sunshine falling on her from a skylight above them. 

Dick lifts his hand slowly, brushing his fingers over her sunken cheeks. She's so cold to the touch it makes his heart scream in agony and a sob escapes his lips.

"I'm here." he whispers, running his hand through her hair. "I'm here and Diana's here too and you'll be back with us soon, okay?"

He leans down and kisses her forehead lovingly as a single tear runs down his cheek. 

"Not too long now, okay?" He breathes out into her hair before straightening up. "I promise."

When he walks out of the temple, Diana is already waiting for him. There's familiar pain in her eyes and he has to avert his gaze. She walks up to him slowly and puts a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. There's something so unbelievably motherly about the gesture that it almost makes Dick jealous, not for the first time in fact, of how incredibly lucky Donna is to have Diana in her life. 

The woman smiles at him softly.

"Let's get everything ready and bring her home."

***

After spending two hours working out in the training area and refreshing up afterwards Dick makes his way to the library, only stopping by the kitchen to grab a plate of food for himself and Rachel. He hasn't seen her come out of there since breakfast - which was few hours ago - so he figures snacks and some company would be good for her right now.

He finds her exactly like the last time, bent over books, taking notes. The view makes him feel warm inside. It somehow reminded him of the times he had found her asleep in various places of the Tower, with a copy of "The Art of War" he gave her to read. The book bored her out of her mind, but - being a good student she is - Rachel tried to get through it, for him.

"Hey!" he calls out to her from the door, announcing his presence. "Mind if I join you?"

The girl looks up from her notes, smiling.

"Did you bring food?"

He shows her the plate of fresh fruits and sandwiches as a confirmation, making her grin go bigger.

"Then yes, you can join me."

He sets the plate down on the big wooden table and takes a seat next to her. 

One look at her notes gives him a headache. He can understand some stuff about moon phases and sea currents, but most of it is beyond him. The fact that Rachel can understand it and she managed to put all of this together is… honestly, the word 'impressive' doesn't even cover the half of it. 

He lifts his gaze to find Rachel staring at him, concern written all over her features.

"Everything alright?" she asks him.

He reaches out to grab a sandwich from the plate.

"Yeah, why?" he gives her a smile but she clearly doesn't buy it. "I'm just impressed by how insanely smart my girl really is." 

He winks at her and takes a bite but Rachel doesn't budge. She crosses her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow at him.

"You do remember I'm an empath, right?" she asks, making him stop in his antics. "I could feel the pain and guilt and so much damn _sadness_ radiating from you the moment you entered this wing."

She takes his hand in hers as her expression softens. "Dick, what's wrong?"

His smile drops when he lets out a sigh. She's right, there's no point in hiding it from her.

"I went to see Donna."

Rachel squeezes his hand in comfort, letting a quiet 'oh' escape her lips.

"It's been a while, and I know there's a very high chance she'll be back with us in just few hours." he continues, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. "But it really fucking hurt to see her like this, Rach."

"I'm sorry." she whispers in return, then scoots closer to lean her head against his shoulder, her hand still in his on the table. "Tell me about her." she says after a moment. "You two know each other for quite a while, right?"

Dick smiles fondly as his head falls against hers.

"I met her shortly after Bruce had taken me in. I was around 13. So it would be over ten years now."

"She was already Diana's sidekick, right?"

Dick laughs at the term. Only he knew how much Donna Troy hated being called a 'sidekick'.

"Yeah, she was with her since she was 8."

"So how did you meet?"

The memories start flooding his vision.

"So there was this charity event held at Wayne Manor that all current League members had to attend. And me and Donna were the only kids in the crowd."

Rachel smiles against his shoulder.

"Hmm, that sounds like shenanigans to me."

"Oh you don't know the half of it…"

He spends the rest of the day telling Rachel their entire story, sharing memories from their training, joined missions and every time they had to save each other's asses (where in most cases Donna was the one saving him). It turned out Rachel's questions had scientific purpose, because part of her plan is to go inside Donna's mind and tap into different memories. She already did the same thing with Diana. They didn't even notice when the night came, not until Diana showed up at the door. 

"The full moon is out on the sky and everything is prepared." she announces. "Are you ready, my dear?"

Rachel looks at him, her eyes wide. Dick doesn't need to be an empath to know how scared she is. But one look at him and her whole demeanor changes. 

Her head is high and her eyes are hard as steel when she nods.

"I am."

***

There isn't too many people in front of the temple when the three of them enter the clearing before the entrance. Only two guards on posts and Diana's mother, the Queen herself. Dick and Rachel bow respectfully, but the amazonian monarch only smiles in return.

"No need to be official tonight." she says, then steps forward to put a hand on Rachel's shoulder, making the girl straighten up immediately.

"I hope you will succeed, my child. May the Gods have you in their care." 

She then moves to Diana, hugging her daughter tight as she whispers something to her ear. Wonder Woman nods and smiles softly at her mother, before the queen heads back to the palace.

This is it. Over six months of preparation has led to this moment. And suddenly Dick is scared. Different scenarios of what could go wrong flash through his head with the speed of light. He has to be strong, Rachel needs him. He can't think like this, not now. But he can't stop himself. So just before Rachel takes her first step towards the temple, he grabs her hand and turns her to face him.

"Wait." he whispers, but it's strangely loud in the quiet night. Rachel looks at him, perplexed and confused. 

"Listen, I know you got this, I do." he starts, feeling like he doesn't have a lot of time. "Believe me, Rach, I have more faith in you than anyone else in the world. But promise me." He takes both of her hands in his and locks eyes with her. "Promise me, that if anything feels even slightly off, if you end up having any problems - you'll stop. You will pull out and stop."

The girl gives him a soft smile, used to him being overprotective.

"Dick, you were there with me when I checked everything for the last time. You convinced me yourself that nothing will go wrong."

He lets out a sigh and takes a step closer, moving his hand to rest it on her cheek. 

"I know. You worked so hard on this and I am so proud of you. I want Donna back as much as you do, you know that. But I don't want to lose you in the process. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

He knows he sounds desperate. But he needs her to understand. "So, please. Put yourself first, okay?"

"Okay." she says, then throws herself into his arms. Dick pulls her close to his chest, just like many times before, with one arm tight around her waist and the other cradling her head against his shoulder. 

"I love you, Dick." he hears her mumble against his neck and it takes everything in him not to crumble into tears. Instead he moves his head to press a kiss to her forehead, right above the gem.

"I love you too, Rachel. So much."

She pulls away and wipes at her eyes. There's no more time to waste. 

"Good luck." is the last thing he tells her before she disappears inside the marble building.

For a long moment nothing happens. The world around them seems to be still, almost frozen in time. It's like the nature itself is waiting for what happens next. The clouds move away, letting the moonlight fall inside the temple through the skylight. And suddenly a column of bright purple light shots into the sky, as Rachel's scream pierces through the night, freezing Dick's blood.

All of it lasts mere seconds. The silence that envelops them later is the most terrifying thing Dick had ever witnessed.

He takes a step forward, stealing a glance at Diana, who looks as scared as he is.

"Rachel?" he tries, but no one answers. A cold shiver runs down his spine.

"Rachel, you okay?"

"Dick?"

The moment he hears her saying his name, he leaps forward, storming inside with Diana right behind him. Rachel is on the ground, struggling to get up, her limbs are trembling. He's by her side the next second, helping her to her feet and pulling her against him. She's white as a sheet and she's shaking all over but seems unharmed. He checks anyway.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." she breathes out, nodding. "Just tired."

"Dick."

He looks up at the sound of his name and the view before him nearly makes him fall to his knees. 

Donna is sitting on the marble table, wrapped in her mother's arms. Her eyes are closed and she's breathing heavily, gasping for air, but there's more color coming back to her face with every breath she takes. Diana is looking at him with wide eyes, tears streaming down her face.

"I did it." Rachel whispers next to him, like she can't believe it herself.

"Yeah, Rach. You did it." he confirms breathlessly. "You really did it."

Donna opens her eyes, just now noticing their presence. The moment their eyes meet, she sits straight, letting out a sob.

"Dick?"

He slowly lets go of Rachel and takes a step forward.

"It's me, Donna." he takes another step, already reaching out for her. "I'm here. Right here, Don."

The moment she's in his arms, it's like a dam finally breaks. They cling to each other like their lives depend on it, and in a way it's true. Donna buries her face into his neck when sobs start wrecking her body. He's crying too and his tears soak into her hair when he presses a kiss to the side of her head.

"I thought I lost you." he chokes out and grips her tighter. Her fingernails painfully dig through his shirt into the skin on his back, but he doesn't care. Donna's here, she's alive. That's all that matters. 

"I told you." she laughs through her tears, and the sound of her voice, even though rough and broken, almost makes him fall apart again. "Me and you? No goodbyes."

Dick leans back and takes her face into his hands, cupping her cheeks. He stares at her as he's brushing away her tears, trying to remember every detail. 

"Don't you dare leave me like that ever again." he tells her, making her smile. God, he missed this smile so fucking much.

"Only if you promise the same." she says in return and pulls him closer, touching their foreheads together. They stay like that for a moment, just breathing, trying to calm down their raging hearts. 

"I love you." he whispers, because he can't hold it back anymore. One of his biggest regrets was that he didn't tell her that enough. 

"I love you too." Donna whispers back and that's all he needs right now. 

"Rachel, darling, I think you should sit down." he hears Diana's concerned voice behind him and immediately turns around, alerted. She's holding Rachel, who can barely stand on her own. She sways to the sides and Dick leaps forward to catch her before her knees give out completely.

"Rachel?" his voice quivers from panic.

"It's fine." she breathes out. "I'm just… really tired."

He feels Diana's hand on his shoulder.

"Go take care of your little girl." she tells him. "I'll take care of mine."

He looks back at Donna, who gives him a reassuring smile and nods, confirming she'll be alright. So he sweeps Rachel off of her feet and picks her up into his arms.

"Dick…" she murmurs against him when her arms slip loosely around his neck.

"It's okay, baby." he whispers, adjusting his grip on her. "I got you." He steals one last glance at Donna, but she's already back in Diana's arms, her mother helping her stand up. So he turns around and leaves, making his way back to the palace. 

***

"Really, Dick. I'm fine." Rachel mumbles when he lays her down on the bed in her room. 

"Are you sure?" he's pressing anyway, his voice vibrating with worry. "You're not hurt? No headache or anything?"

She shakes her head as he covers her up with a blanket. She pulls it up to her chin and turns to the side, getting more comfortable. Her eyelids are heavy with sleep and another yawn escapes her.

"It took a huge amount of power." She murmurs. "Like I knew it would. I'm okay, I just need to sleep it off." She pulls one hand out from under the blanket and wraps her small fingers around his larger ones. "So stop worrying."

"Excuse me, have you met me?" he asks jokingly, playing offended, as a wide smile spreads across his lips. He's doing everything he can to mask how scared he really feels. "I _always_ worry about you. It's my second nature now."

Rachel smiles in return, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. 

"I know."

He tucks a lost strand of hair away from her face, letting his fingers brush her cheek softly. 

"Go check on Donna." she whispers, closing her eyes at his touch. "I'll be okay."

"Really? Because I'm not leaving until I know for sure."

Rachel rolls her eyes at him, even though she's half asleep already.

"Yes, really."

Dick lets out a sigh and smiles.

"Okay, I believe you." He then lifts her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. "You did great today. I'm proud of you. And I can't thank you enough."

"You can thank me by going to check if Donna is okay." Rachel mumbles, sinking deeper into her pillow. "Deal?"

He laughs quietly.

"Deal."

He gets up but leans down again to give her another kiss, this time on her forehead. The warm feeling blossoming in his chest whenever he does it never gets old. Rachel seems to love it, so he's happy to deliver.

"Get some rest, baby." he whispers into her ear. "You deserve it."

"Mhmm."

She's out like a light before he leaves the room.

***

Thankfully he doesn't have to even look for Diana, because the moment he walks out of Rachel's room he finds her right down the hall.

"How is she?" she asks him immediately, worry all over her features.

"She's alright, just fell asleep. She's exhausted but unharmed." he answers, feeling part of the tension leaving his body. "But I would like to have a local medic to check her out in the morning anyway, if that's okay."

Diana smiles and nods.

"Of course."

"And how's Donna?" 

Wonder Woman laughs under her breath. Her eyes seem to be wet again, but this time Dick knows those are happy tears.

"Hungry." she says with a smile, making him chuckle. Yeah, that was to be expected. "But okay. She wants to see you. She's waiting for you in her room."

"I was just going to check on her."

"Then follow me."

***

He finds Donna sitting in her king size bed, with a plate of tacos on her lap and that ridiculous view fills him with so much joy he can do nothing but stare at her in bewilderment, grinning like an idiot. 

"They have tacos here?"

"Yeah, thanks to me." she smiles at him and takes a bite. "Want some?"

He makes his way to the bed and sits down next to her, slipping under the covers, just like when they were kids.

"Nah, it's all yours."

"Your loss."

Donna shrugs and takes another bite. 

"We finally made it, huh?" she says when she's finished with her food. "We're both on Themyscira, just like we always wanted to."

"Yeah, but not _the way_ we wanted." he whispers back and Donna's smile drops. He takes her hand in his.

"How are you feeling?"

They look in each other's eyes for a long moment before Donna finally speaks.

"Honestly? Like I just took a really long nap, but I'm still tired anyway." She looks down at their joined hands. "It all feels like a really weird dream, you know?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" She doesn't answer right away and he can feel her hesitation. It's like she doesn't know how to respond.

"I remember everything."

Those three words bring back all that previous tension between them, all that was left unspoken. He knows what she means by that. Slade. Garth. Jericho. All the lies and secrets. The feeling of betrayal and broken trust.

That painful gap opens between them again and Dick just wants to crumble. It was so easy to forget about all of that, to put it all behind him when he started to rebuild the team. All was forgotten and forgiven. But for Donna it's still fresh. She didn't have six months to think it over. She didn't have time to forgive him.

And she probably won't.

"Donna, I-"

"Stop." she interrupts him. "Let me say something first." She turns to fully face him, letting go of his hand, and her eyes pierce through him, right into his soul. He cowers under her gaze. She's going to kick him out. Tell him she hates him and she never wants to see him again. That he crossed the line and there's no coming back from this. And he knows he totally deserves it.

"I'm sorry."

His eyes snap back at her, wide open in surprise. He didn't expect that. 

"I was a hypocrite." she continues, because he's too stunned to say anything. "I was blinded by grief and revenge. I didn't see my fault in any of the shit we've done to Jericho, I was just doing what I thought was necessary. We all were. And then we used the fact that it was your idea to put all the blame on you and left like we had nothing to do with it." 

Her eyes well up with tears and her lower lip starts to tremble but she pushes through it and continues anyway. And all Dick can do is listen. 

"We all made that mistake, but I was the worst." she confesses and his heart breaks at how honest and sincere she sounds. "I ran away like a scared, wounded animal, leaving you with all that pain and guilt, ultimately pushing you on the path of violence and self destruction that almost killed you more than once."

Her voice cracks on those last few words and tears start falling down her cheeks. The view is so heartbreaking Dick has to look away.

Donna clears her throat and speaks again.

"I was part of the reason it happened to you and it kills me to realize that."

"Donna, no. It wasn't your fault-" he starts but she lifts her hand to stop him.

"Stop justifying me!" she demands. "I was avoiding this responsibility for too long. We were supposed be there for each other. Always and forever. That's what we promised each other when we were kids, remember? And then I bailed. Like a fucking coward." 

She's crying now, her words coming out in broken sobs and he wants nothing more than to hold her again. To make it all go away. But he knows her too well and he knows she won't let him, not until she's finished.

"And after all these years, when you came clean about what really happened in that church, what did I do? I bailed, again." she hides her face in her hands when another sob comes out of her. He reaches out for her hand but she pushes him away. She's close to hysterics and he can't do anything to help.

"Donna, I think you should lay down." he starts carefully but she only shakes her head.

"No, please. Let me finish." she takes few deep breaths to calm herself down, then speaks again.

"I was so angry. And I didn't even know why, exactly. I thought it was because you kept it from us. But…" she laughs bitterly, wiping her tears away. "It took Rachel - your brilliant Rachel - ditching me in the middle of San Francisco, leaving me scared half to death to realize how fucking stupid I was."

"What?"

"She left with me just to tell me what a damn hypocrite I am, how we are all guilty because we all played a part in it. Then she used her mojo on me to keep me from going after her when she ran away. And you know what? I really fucking deserved it."

He never knew about that part. He doesn't know what to say. Donna seems to know it too so she continues right away. "But I was still too stupid, too angry to see that. I didn't even flinch when she told me about her nightmares."

Kory told him about those nightmares and how they led them all to Elko. But he clearly didn't know everything.

"I thought you and Dawn were in San Francisco, trying to help Gar and Conner."

Donna nods.

"We were. But we were in Elko first. Rachel begged me to help her find you. She was fighting for you like a lioness, the way I should have. She was so scared, but I didn't care. I said that Gar needed us more, but in fact I didn't help her because I didn't want to. I decided to leave you in the dirt. And I didn't care if you get yourself out or not."

She reaches out with her trembling hands for him, but she pulls them back next second, probably thinking she shouldn't do it. But he takes them anyway, entwining their fingers together. He has no idea what she expects from him - rage? Loathing? Hate? All he has for her right now is more love than he'd ever had for her in his life.

She stares at their joined hands for a moment, then looks back up at him.

"I am so sorry, Dick. For everything. And I had to die to realize what I've done. You can hate me all you want, you should, honestly. And I won't blame you. Not anymore."

He shakes his head and moves his hands to cup her cheeks. Her hands follow up to rest on his wrists. Dick leans in closer to look her in the eyes, making sure she's listening.

"Donna. Hinckley. Stacy. Troy." he says slowly, putting weight on every word. Using her full name is a risk, she revealed it to him only once and told him to never use it, until it's completely necessary. She had promised the same about his full name. But Dick feels like this is the perfect moment to use it.

"Nothing in this world, no amount of bulshit we've done to each other over the years, would ever make me hate you."

She's about to argue, but he stops her. "I'm not denying you anything. I am not justifying your actions. You fucked up. So did I. We both fucked up so royally we had no idea what to do with it, so we just ignored it and kept hurting each other without even knowing. It all piled up and blew up in our faces."

He brushes his fingers over her cheeks, wiping her tears away.

"I forgive you." he says and Donna lets out a deep sigh of relief. "I've forgiven you a long time ago. It took me losing you to understand how fucking much I love you."

He pulls her to him and wraps his arms tightly around her. Donna melts into his embrace, hiding her face in the crook of his neck as she slides her arms around his waist to rest them on his back.

"We're family." he whispers to her ear. "Nothing will ever change that. It's you and me against the world." he reminds her the phrase they often used as kids and she smiles against his shoulder. "Remember? Dick and Donna. Donna and Dick. D an-"

"D and D." she finishes for him, laughing into his ear. "Yeah, I remember."

He squeezes her tighter.

"Good. Because it's going to stay that way. Forever."

He runs his fingers through her long black hair and kisses her forehead. 

"You will always be my older, smarter, prettier sister. And I will always love you, no matter what."

She snuggles closer to him in return.

"I love you, too, little brother."

He lays them both down under the covers, tucking Donna under his chin. She cuddles herself to his side, resting her head on his chest while her hand lays flat above his heart. He covers it with his own and squeezes comfortingly.

"Where did all of this suddenly come from?" he asks after they laid in silence for several minutes.

"Rachel pulled me from the limbo by using memories as some sort of an anchor or a grappling line." she says. "Some memories she had no way of knowing unless you told her." She looks up at him. "A trip down memory lane made me realize things. Rethink some stuff. See what an idiot I was."

"I'm glad it worked." he whispers, pulling her closer.

"Me too. Speaking of…" Donna pulls herself up on her elbow to look at him. 

"How's Rachel?"

A proud grin spreads across his lips.

"She's okay. The spell just drained her, but it's nothing a few hours - or maybe few days in her case - of sleep won't fix."

Donna smiles and lays back down.

"That girl is a genius." she says, impressed. "She has so much strength and will to fight." she looks up at him again and grins. "She gets that from you."

Dick raises an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing." she murmurs. "Just… you know. Like father like daughter and all that…"

Dick chuckles.

"Shut up."

"No, I mean it!"

She sits up, excited. It's good to see a smile back on her face, even if it means she's about to tease the hell out of him.

"I always knew you would make a great parent someday, and now you're proving me right"

Rolling his eyes at her, he lifts his arms to put them under his head and he lets it fall back against them.

"Really, Donna?"

This time she's the one giving him a skeptical look.

"Don't tell me you don't feel that way about her, sometimes at least."

That makes him think. He goes back to all the times he was worried about Rachel's safety. To how he felt when he saw her for the first time. To all the hugs, all the tears she had shed (sometimes because of him) and how it made him feel. All their training sessions. All their coffee mornings and movie nights. The feeling of pride in his chest whenever he looks at her.

A soft smile spreads across his lips.

"You know what? Maybe I do."

"I knew it!" she falls back on her pillow with a victorious grin. "So you're a dad now."

He chuckles again and glances at her.

"Yeah, it looks like it."

"Did she call you 'dad' already?" Donna prods and he feels like they're 16 again.

"Donna-"

"Did she?"

"No." he answers. "And I have no idea what I'm gonna do if she ever does."

Donna scoots closer to him again, resting her head back on his chest.

"I always wanted to be the cool vodka aunt."

He snorts and wraps his arms around her.

"Shut up, Troy. And get some sleep, would you?"

"What? She brought me back to life. The least I can do is buy her expensive Christmas presents."

This is definitely not how he imagined this day to end.

"Goodnight, Donna."

"Fine. But we are not done talking about this." She snuggles closer to his chest, closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Dicky."

***

Rachel got out of bed around noon the next day. She wasn't very happy about seeing a doctor before breakfast, but Dick insisted. She joined him, Donna and Diana in the garden an hour later.

"Was it really necessary?" she whines when, after hugging Donna for almost five minutes, she flops down on a chair beside him, letting out an exasperated sigh. "I told you I was fine."

"And I told you I believed you." He responds while putting a portion of fruit porridge on her plate. "But I wanted to be sure, just in case."

Rachel rolls her eyes and starts eating.

"Whatever."

Dick is about to pass the bowl to Donna when he notices her mischievous grin. She winks at him as she takes the bowl, mouthing 'Dad' breathlessly. He rolls his eyes at her, shooting back with a quiet 'fuck you'.

"I think Dick is right, darling." Diana speaks to Rachel, putting an end to their antics. "What you did last night was incredible - and we are very grateful for that - but it must have taken its toll on you. Better be safe than sorry."

"I'm not hurt." the girl says, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "I just feel like I could sleep for another day or so."

"You've slept for 14 hours already." Dick points out.

"Yeah, and I would love to sleep for another 14. Or more."

"Well, you're gonna have a lot of time to sleep on the plane." He tells her. Her head immediately turns to him, her eyes wide in surprise.

"We're going home?"

Diana sends her a warm smile.

"We spoke about it this morning. You have accomplished your mission - Donna is back with us, alive and well." she says, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "And you made quite a progress over the last six months. You've studied hard, and you're always welcome to come back if you want to learn more. But we think it would be good for you to reunite with your family and put those new abilities to good use."

Rachel looks between the three of them, setting her eyes on Donna in the end.

"Donna, are you sure you're completely okay?" she asks. "Before I brought you back, I was scared I might do something wrong, something that could hurt you. Are you sure you are…" she pauses, searching for the right word. "...yourself?"

"You mean if my soul is intact?" Donna asks, and when Rachel gives her a puzzled look, she explains. "Dick told me about your fears. You have nothing to worry about. My memory is complete, there were no blackouts or headaches. I feel 100% myself, both physically and mentally."

Rachel visibly relaxes in her seat, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Good." she breathes out. "That's good." she then turns to Dick. "So when do we leave?"

He laughs at her excitement.

"You're really eager to get the hell out of here, aren't you?"

Rachel shrugs, feeling a little embarrassed, if that pink color spreading over her cheeks is any indication.

"I just miss the team." she murmurs. "Gar and Kory mostly."

"Well…" he says after emptying his glass of wine. "Diana needs to set everything up first, but I think tomorrow at most we'll be good to go."

Rachel smiles at him happily, then turns her face towards Wonder Woman.

"Thank you, Diana." she says, her voice sincere. "For letting me stay here. For being patient with me and teaching me."

The woman reaches over the table to grab her hand. "No, I thank _you_ , Rachel. You gave me my daughter back. You gave Dick his sister back. Mentoring you for those few months was the least I could do. And just so you know - I would do it again, and I will, if you ever want me to."

Rachel's eyes light up, making Dick's heart grow ten times bigger.

"Really?"

"Of course!" Diana laughs. "You are an extraordinary girl. It will be my pleasure."

"She's right." Donna adds, getting the girl's attention. "What you did was unbelievable. And you didn't have to - you could've let me rot after how I treated you recently."

Dick wants to argue about that, but his sister sends him a glare before he can even speak. 

"So, thank you." she finishes. "And I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Rachel smiles at her in return. "You were right, Gar and Conner needed you more. And Dick came back to us on his own." She sends him a smile before continuing. "So apology accepted. And for that 'bringing you back from the dead' thing… I would do it again."

Donna laughs under her breath, then extends a hand towards her over the table.

"So… peace?"

Rachel shakes her hand and grins.

"Peace."

Seeing that entire exchange fills Dick with happiness. His two girls getting along, just like he always hoped they would. He thinks back to the conversation he had with Donna last night. Now he can see that 'cool aunt' aura around her - not like he's gonna tell her that of course, or he's not gonna hear the end of it.

As for Rachel though… Donna might be right. The moment he met the girl, it was like something had awaken in him. Some deeply buried instinct he didn't know he had. He never considered himself a parent material, he simply didn't think he won't live long enough to have kids. But having Rachel in his life, seeing her grow and flourish in front of his eyes - it's the best thing that ever happened to him. He loves her with all his heart, he knows that now, and he would go to the end of the world and beyond for her.

Maybe he is a dad after all.

"Dick? Are you even listening?"

He comes back to reality to find Donna and Rachel staring at him.

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

The two girls exchange a glance and Dick starts to feel like he might be in trouble.

"I _said_ …" Donna starts. "Now that we have some free time, let's go on a trip. We always wanted to come here together, Dick. Let me show you around - for real this time." She gives him a mischievous grin. "Don't you wanna see places you've only known from my stories before?"

Dick feels excitement rising up in his chest.

"Lead the way, Troy."

***

The plane comes for them just before dawn the same day. How Diana managed to arrange everything this quickly, Dick has no idea. But none of them is complaining.

"It's been a pleasure having you here." Diana tells them when the four of them reach the landing area. "I will never forget what you have done for us, Rachel. I am beyond grateful."

The girl gives her a warm smile.

"Like I said." she shrugs. "I would do it again."

Wonder Woman steps forward to give her a hug. Then she moves to Dick.

"Thank you for agreeing to come."

"Of course." he nods.

Diana turns to steal a glance at Rachel and Donna, who are talking few feet away from them. The woman smiles and turns back to him.

"Keep an eye on this little one. Let her spread her wings, but make sure she's not flying too close to the sun."

Dick chuckles, catching a reference to the Icarus myth.

"You know I will."

The two other girls approach them, smiling. The feeling of happiness radiating from Rachel melts his heart. She still looks tired, but - as he pointed out before - she will have a lot of time to sleep on the way home.

Diana smiles at them fondly.

"Save travels."

"And say 'hi' to the team for me." Donna adds, making Dick stare at her in shock.

"I thought you were coming back with us."

His sister steps closer to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I was going to, but… I thought it over. And I think I'm gonna stay here a little longer." she confesses.

He can't say he's not dissapointed. But he had learned a long time ago that once Donna Troy settles on something, you can't change her mind.

He takes her hand in his.

"But you _will_ be back, right?"

Donna gives him a soft smile, then wraps her arms around his neck.

"Of course." she whispers to his ear. "I need to clear my head. I don't want to come back to the real world just yet. But I'll come back, I promise."

He wraps his arms around her tighter, pulling her closer to him.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

She leans away and smiles when Rachel joins them.

"Both of you."

Donna reaches for the girl and the three of them hug again, laughing.

"Keep an eye on this idiot for me, will you?" he can hear Donna whisper to Rachel and rolls his eyes. The younger girl chuckles in response. 

"Will do."

They step away from each other, grinning. Donna looks both of them in the eyes and nods.

"See you soon, guys."

After the plane takes off, Rachel tucks herself under his arm like a kitten, getting more comfortable.

When he looks down at her, amused, she chuckles.

"You said I can sleep all I want on the way back." she says. "And you're more comfortable than that seat."

Dick lets out a quiet laugh.

"Right. Don't worry, I don't mind being a pillow for another 10 hours."

Rachel smiles and cuddles closer to him.

"I can't wait to be home." she sighs, closing her eyes.

Dick leans down and presses a kiss to the crown of her head, smiling.

"Me too, honey. Me too."

***

**Author's Note:**

> So... I hope you liked it! Cudos and comments always appreciated.  
> If you're wondering what the title has to this fic, here's some info:  
> \- Reversal of fates - we are literally reversing Donna's death by bringing her back  
> \- Rachel uses her powers to do it, getting her strength from everything around her (lives, nature) - although it's not completely explained since all of it is happening through Dick's eyes and he doesn't understand everything  
> \- Rachel's power come from a demon of evil and destruction. Using them to create a life is a role reversal  
> \- Donna changes her point of view on the events of s2, finally accepting being at least partially resposible for what happened.
> 
> I hope it helped.  
> See you soon! (Hopefully)


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